A proposal for a York restaurant to host live music into the early morning hours has met with resistance from local residents. The Hima Fuji restaurant, situated on Lawrence Street, seeks a license to provide musical entertainment until 2 AM daily, extending to 3 AM on bank holidays.
According to owner Ze He, this application aligns with recent internal layout modifications at the Asian-themed restaurant and karaoke establishment. However, three nearby individuals have formally objected to the request, expressing fears of disturbances from loud music late into the night, potential parking difficulties, and an increase in anti-social behavior.
The application is slated for review by a council licensing committee on May 28, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The restaurant currently possesses authorization to serve alcoholic beverages until 1:30 AM.
One resident residing on Farrar Street, located across Lawrence Street from Hima Fuji, voiced concerns that the proposed music schedule would disrupt those seeking to avoid the city center’s bustling bars and pubs. They stated, “The request to have live music until late every day is completely insensitive to the neighbouring residents, noise will be a big issue for residents.”
They further added, “The licence change would negatively impact residents as the bar and property does not seem to have much parking. The streets local to us currently suffer heavily from broken glass that seems to be there for weeks or longer, I and any other dog owners have to be careful around this so the animals are not injured by standing on glass.”
Another individual from the same street echoed these sentiments, expressing apprehension about noise emanating from live performances, patrons departing the venue, and staff undertaking post-event cleanup. “We believe that a music venue, very close to our street, will adversely affect our quality of life,” the objector commented.
A council report addressing the proposal noted that all karaoke booths at the rear of the premises are equipped with professional soundproofing. Additionally, signs are prominently displayed at the venue’s exits, instructing patrons to depart quietly.
